Shemot: Chapter 6

"Every man came with his household"

Synopsis

While walking, Rabbi Yosi asks Rabbi Elazar to explain Rabbi Shimon's interpretation of the verse, "And these are the names of the children of Israel..." If this verse refers to God and the heavenly hosts and Chariots who went into captivity with Jacob, he asks, what is the meaning of, "Each man and his household came?" Rabbi Elazar confirms Rabbi Shimon's interpretation and discusses the distinction between "the house of Hashem" and "the house of the king." This leads to a brief explanation of the shifting gender attributed to the King and the various grades of angels. The higher level is always referred to as male-which implies an active quality-in relation to the lower level, which is referred to as female, and implies a passive, receptive quality. Thus, he concludes, symbolically, "Every man came with his household" refers to the angels, who are called "his house." Rabbi Yosi then draws from Rabbi's Elazar's explanation to interpret the verse, "A closed garden is my sister..." as a reference to the children of Israel, who must be tended and nurtured, like a garden or vineyard.

Relevance

Just as a garden must be cultivated, watered, and pruned, so the Children of Yisrael (which refers to all those who walk the spiritual path) must also be refined and cultivated by "watering" them, or nourishing them with Light. A man uses this Light to be pruned like a tree - to uproot and purge all his negative traits and blockages.

The greatest source of Light for human beings is the Temple; specifically, the chamber known as the Holy of Holies. From this sacred place emerge the most powerful spiritual forces known to man.

Here, the Zohar summons forth the energy of the Temple. These forces cultivate, water, and prune the entire earth, transforming our globe into the greatest of all gardens - the Garden of Eden. The ultimate giving-and-receiving relationship emerges - The Light of the Creator shares with the Vessel (humanity), and the Vessel receives this Light for the sake of sharing pleasure with the Creator. In this scenario, both the Light and the Vessel, both the Creator and the souls of humanity, are in a sharing mode. Perfection of the world and oneness is thus achieved by this remarkable passage. Our own consciousness is transformed so that we recognize the value of unconditional sharing with others. We become cognizant of the profound pleasure the Creator receives by giving to mankind. In turn, we deeply cherish all the gifts we have received in our life. Sorrows vanish as fulfillment and thankfulness fill our being.